This is a fantastic opportunity to join our Strategic Water Resources Directorate (SWR) as a Supply Chain Manager. SWR is responsible for delivering our Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) and Strategic Resource Options (SROs) through robust forecasting, stakeholder engagement, regulatory compliance, and investment in resilient infrastructure – ensuring a reliable water supply for future generations.
What you’ll be doing as a Supply Chain Manager at Thames Water SWR
You’ll deliver supply chain engagement and supplier relationship management activities across SWR, shaping how Thames Water understands and works with strategic suppliers throughout the procurement and delivery lifecycle. You’ll build strong, long‑term partnerships, increase visibility of our supply chain, engage and prepare the market for the scale of SWR procurements, drive value, improve supplier performance, and position Thames Water as the client of choice for suppliers in the water and infrastructure sectors.
Key Accountabilities:
- Develop and implement a coordinated supply chain engagement plan to communicate with all potential suppliers relevant to your SCM portfolio.
- Undertake capability and capacity analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and risks in the marketplace, ensuring Thames Water remains an informed client.
- Promote a culture of excellent supply chain relationships, based on trust and transparency, enhancing Thames Water’s reputation in the marketplace.
- Lead market‑sounding exercises relating to your SCM portfolio and contribute to others as required.
- Lead meetings, workshops, and engagement events to support the delivery of SCM within SWR.
- Build strategic, long‑term relationships with critical suppliers to align delivery with SWR and business objectives.
- Monitor, evaluate, and report on supplier performance against KPIs and SLAs, escalating and intervening where needed.
- Lead contract discussions, support negotiations, and manage compliance with contractual, commercial, and regulatory requirements.
- Identify opportunities to enhance value, reduce cost, improve delivery performance, and drive continuous improvement with suppliers.
- Act as the primary escalation point for vendor performance issues, working with internal teams to resolve service challenges quickly and effectively.
- Use performance insights, benchmarking, and market intelligence to shape supplier strategies and commercial approaches.
- Deliver timely and accurate reporting in accordance with SCM programme governance.
Base location: Hybrid - Camelford House, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP
Working pattern or hours: 36 hours, Monday to Friday
What you should bring to the role
- Experience of major infrastructure projects, either client‑side or contractor‑side, within a supply chain function.
- Proven experience in developing and delivering supplier or stakeholder engagement programmes.
- Demonstrated ability to establish, lead, and manage workstreams or initiatives end-to-end‑
- Solid understanding of activity scheduling, planning methodologies, and project management best practices.
- Strong knowledge of the commercial and contract delivery lifecycle, including market engagement, procurement, and delivery phases.
- Awareness of government policies, initiatives, and best practices related to supply chain management (SCM) in the built environment.
- Understanding of various procurement routes and relevant procurement legislation.
- Strong analytical, commercial, and negotiation skills.
- Skilled in producing clear, well‑structured documents and reports for diverse audiences, including senior internal stakeholders.
- Excellent stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to build and maintain strategic relationships with internal and external partners.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) or equivalent tools.
- Highly organised, with experience managing calendars, meetings, and coordinating workshops or events.
- Professionally qualified or working towards a relevant qualification (e.g., CIPS or equivalent).
What’s in it for you?
- Competitive salary from £74,500 to £82,000 per annum, depending on experience
- Annual leave: 26 days per year, increasing to 30 with length of service (plus bank holidays)
- Car Allowance of £5800
- Annual Bonus
- Generous Pension Scheme through AON
- Private medical healthcare
- Access to a wide range of benefits to support you and your family’s health, wellbeing, and finances – including annual health MOTs, physiotherapy, counselling, Cycle-to-Work schemes, shopping vouchers, and life assurance
Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)
Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job, and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.
Learn more about our purpose and values
Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no two days are the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.
Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.
We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.
When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.
Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
